LIFE IN THE “BARRACKS”: Klamath Falls and the Navy’s forgotten Filariasis problem

ByAndréSobocinski

U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

“Filariasis in the personnel of our Armed Forces is a problem which has arisen since operations were started in the South and Central Pacific area.”

~Vice Adm. Ross McIntire, Navy Surgeon General, to Hon. William Stigler (D-OK), June 20, 1944

TutuilaIsland,Samoa,1880 Afterconducting a thorough medical survey of the island, USSAlaska’smedicalofficerThomasHiland reported that four-fifths of the population over the age of 45 suffered from a condition marked—in severe cases—by skin/tissue thickening, swelling of limbs (elephantiasis) andscrotalswelling(hydrocele).

Decades away from the discovery of the actualcause,Hilandattributedthecondition to the “warm, moist climate” of Tutuila and advised use of quinine, rest and purging In sixcasesofhydrocele,heandfellowphysician Asst.SurgeonS.H.Griffithsurgicallyremoved ahypertrophiedmassweighing40pounds!

Today, we know this horrifying disease by the name lymphatic filariasis A potentially chronic condition, filariasis is caused by parasitic roundworms that can be transmittedbyAedes,AnophelesandCulexspeciesof mosquitoes According to the World Health Organization(WHO),theWucheriabancrofti parasite is responsible for 90 percent of lymphaticfilariasiscasesworldwide

When injected into a host’s bloodstream, the microfilariae (larval stage worms) can grow up to four inches in length and lodge in the lymph glands where they continually reproduce over a lifespan of 5 to 7 years Theseblockagescanleadtoanaccumulation oflymphfluidleadingtoelephantoidenlargementoflimbsandbodyparts

Most individuals who contract filariasis, however, remain asymptomatic and diagnosisisusuallyonlymadethroughidentification ofmicrofilariaeinbloodsmears Lessthan10 percentofcasesactuallymanifestinelephantiasis

Although the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps has never been overrun with the disease it hasnotbeenimmunetoiteither Remarkably, between 1915 and 1945, there were only two yearsinwhichSailorsandMarineswerenot diagnosed with filariasis. In World War II— with the swell of deployed military populations in areas endemic with filariasis—Navy physicians diagnosed some 12,040 cases. Of these,over90percentwereMarines.

Filariasis not only comprised an individual’s lymphatic system and ultimately their wartime readiness, it posed a serious psychological threat for service personnel who feared manifestations of elephantiasis, spreading the infection and subsequent social stigma Navy doctors also reported an overwhelming,yetunfoundedfearofsterility amongafflictedpersonnel

Althoughtherewasnocureforthedisease, Navy medical researchers noted that the cooler climates at higher altitudes made for amenableconditionsintherecoveryprocess. InApril1944,theNavy inconjunctionwith the Marine Corps—established a special rehabilitation and research facility in Klamath Falls Oregon, specifically for filariasis patients.

Located4,200abovesealevelandalongthe Southern Pacific Railroad line in Southern Oregon, the 800 acre-facility was composed of80buildingsandcouldaccommodateupto 5,000patientsatonetime Dueinparttothe sensitivitiesofinfectedpersonnel,themedical facility was dubbed a “Marine Barracks” ratherthanahospitalorrehabilitationcenter.

Between April 1944 and November 1945 the Marine Barracks at Klamath Falls averaged2,110patients,theoverwhelmingmajority being Pacific War veterans with filariasis, although relapsing malaria cases were also admitted.

Typically, patients underwent a threemonth“supervisedreconditioning”program to strengthen immune systems that would be fighting the parasite For Cmdr Lowell Coggeshall, the Chief Medical Officer of the “Barracks,” it was imperative to keep the patients active and their minds occupied. As he remarked, “. .they must be kept busy enoughtoeatwell,andtiredenoughtosleep well. The stronger they are, the better they cancombatanyailments.”

Most patients were ambulatory and were required to perform normal garrison activities and close-order drills under medical supervision. There were endurance hikes upMountShasta,constructionworkonbase and vocational therapy—some patients even served the nearby community as auxiliary firemenandharvestedcropsinlocalfarms

Under Coggeshall’s direction, Klamath Fallsalsotookpartincooperativeeffortswith the National Research Council and Public Health Service in evaluating chemotherapeuticandothertreatmentsforthedisease.

Filariasis was never considered grounds forautomaticdischargefromtheserviceand most patients were returned to active duty Special notations would be placed in their health records requesting their return to Klamath Falls should relapse occur Starting in October 1944, Klamath Falls admissions were added to a first of its kind, a “Filariasis Registry”inordertokeepthemundersurveillancewhileonactiveduty.

With post-war demobilization, a rapidly dwindlingpatientpopulationandaminimal risk of relapse, military officials determined thatKlamathFallswasnolongerneeded.On February 28, 1946, the Marine Barracks at KlamathFallswasdisestablished.

Although no longer a concern facing the U.S. Navy filariasis remains a serious public health issue world-wide According to the World Health Organization, as of 2023, lymphaticfilariasisisendemicin44countries and over 882 million people remain threatened by the disease Preventive chemotherapyremainstheleadinginterventionagainst filariasis Even though there is still no cure, infectedindividualscantakethedrugsalbendazoleanddiethylcarbamazine(DEC)which can eradicate microfilariae in the bloodstreamandpreventtransmission.

Sources:

„ Coggeshall, L.T (1946). “Filariasis in Servicemen; Retrospect and Prospect,” JournaloftheAmericanMedicalAssociation

13(1),8-12

„ Glauser, F. (1945) “Filariasis in Returning Marines,” United States Naval Medical Bulletin44(1),21-36.

„ Hiland,T.(1882)“MedicalTopographyand Sanitary Reports.” Sanitary and Statistical Report of the Surgeon-General of the Navy for the Year 1880.

Washington: Government PrintingOffice,263-265

„ Lymphatic filariasis fact sheet (1 June 2023).WorldHealthOrganization.Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/ fact-sheets/detail/lymphatic-filariasis

„ Matthews R.P.(1992-1993).“Takingcareof their own: The Marine Barracks at Klamath Falls, Oregon, 1944-1946. The Oregon HistoricalQuarterly93(4),342-367

„ Thomas, G.C. (1945) “Successful rehabilitation of filariasis patients.” BUMED News Letter5(11),10-11.

Q: Whattypesoffamily housingareavailable?

A: There are three types of housing available to families:

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